Census Records Federal Population Censuses

Federal Population Censuses, 1790-1940

Researchers generally begin with the most recent Census and work backwards in ten year increments to locate individuals or families in previous generations. To search you will need the name and location of the individual or family. Try to find your individual or family on as many Censuses as possible, as certain questions change with each Census. Please visit our partner organizations for digitized images and indexes.

Census records can include:

• Name
• Age/birth information
• Gender
• Race
• Location
• Family relation
• Tribe
• And more!

Special Notes

Location and race can be useful in determining American Indian ancestry; however, key details may differ from what you know about the individual or family. Discrepancies can be caused by the following:

• Individual’s response and self-identification
• Who reports the information to the enumerator
• Enumerator’s error
• The individual or family may be listed by their English or American Indian name

If they are not identified as a tribal member on the Federal Population Census, the individual or family may actually still be American Indian. Continue your search with Indian Census Rolls and followed by Bureau of Indian Affairs records.

Can’t Find Them? Consider these possibilities:

• The name may be spelled differently.
• There may be transcription errors with the indexing.
• The individual or family may not have submitted accurate information to the enumerator.
• The enumerator may have inadvertently left the individual or family off of the Census.
• The individual or family may not have been identified as American Indian on any Federal government records.